Couple Dance Tip Sheet

~ General Tips ~ (waltz cont’d) Internalize the rhythm & tempo. First, feel the When waltzing in line-of-direction without rhythm throughout your body—move in time to the turning it works best for the feet to go straight music. Don’t just do the steps by rote —have a feel ahead rather than side-to-side. (Imagine you’re on for how they fit with the rhythm. railroad tracks that go around the room.) Step styling: think long, short, short , or step, toe, step . The all-important dance “frame”. A good frame maintains the connection and good spacing between ~ East Coast Swing ~ you and partner. In the closed position frame the East Coast Swing can be smooth or exuberant to gent’s left hand and lady’s right hand are palm to match each particular swing tune. palm at about shoulder height, and the man’s right arm reaches around his partner’s back; lady’s left The partner connection can be “open” (connecting hand on top of man’s right shoulder. Ladies, you with one or both hands) or “closed” (gent’s arm should feel yourself pushing, but not leaning, into around women’s back.) The basic step pattern is 6 the hand that is on your back. The joined hands counts/beats: counts 1-2 man steps on his left foot; should be relaxed with a little pressure against your counts 3-4 he steps on his right foot; 5-6 rock-step partner’s palm (but don’t clamp down like an “alli- (quick springy steps back & forth (left & right)) Lady gator clip”) The frame works best when bodies are mirrors her partner. parallel, rather than a V formation, and offset (nose to right shoulder, rather than nose to nose). ~ Polka ~ The polka is a lively 19-century Bohemian dance. Small steps work best. Small, short steps enable you to keep up with the music, especially when the Each 4-count measure has three steps and a hop, and tempo is fast. Small steps conserve energy and they you alternate feet on each successive measure. help keep your feet underneath your weight, thus maintaining better balance. ~ Schottische ~ ~ Waltz ~ The schottische is a light-hearted relatively easy dance that makes for a nice change of pace. Waltz is the beautiful dance that never goes out of style. It’s a graceful dance, light on the feet. Part 1 is danced in promenade position (8 counts): Step, step, step, hop, step, step, step, hop. Waltz music has 3 beats/steps per measure . Try starting by standing in place and sway to the Part 2 in closed position and rotating (8 counts): rhythm before starting to move your feet. Step, hop, step, hop, step, hop, step, hop. Stay close to the ground on the hops. Feel and dance to waltz music in phrases of two measures (six beats). The gent starts on his left foot: ~ Zwiefacher ~ Left, R, L (1,2,3); R, L, R (4,5,6) . Each odd measure The zwiefacher (pronounced tswee' fa khur) is a starts on the gent’s left, each even measure starts on traditional dance associated with Bavaria & Austria. the gent’s right. The opposite is true for the lady. Zwiefachers alternate between repeating measures of The hesitation step is a handy rest during fast 3-beat (waltz) and 2 or 4-beats (pivots). Each tune tempos: You can take one step per measure—take a has its own pattern—some that are simple and step on the 1st beat and hold for beats 2 & 3 before predictable; others are complicated and challenging. taking a step on the 1st beat of the next measure.

September 2013 Ret Turner & Peggy Leiby, [email protected], 215-643-4397